11 Crips gang members busted over violent Queens turf war: DA Katz

Hopefully putting a dent in gang-related shootings in southeastern Queens, 11 reputed members of two violent Crips subsets have been indicted on attempted murder and a slew of other charges, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Thursday.
Katz said that, after a three-and-a-half-year investigation, the alleged gang members had been arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit murder, attempted assault, reckless endangerment and gun possession, in addition to attempted murder, as part of a 57-count indictment.
The gangbangers are accused of waging a bloody two-year turf war resulting in five victims in nine shooting incidents, including a wounded man who was paralyzed from the waist down, according to authorities.
The dangerous gunfights, some in broad daylight, often took place in the presence of innocent bystanders, officials said.
At least one shootout occurred inside a public playground, while another took place at Roy Wilkins Park in St. Albans. A third shootout sprayed bullets just one block from Sutphin Playground and P.S. 223 in South Jamaica.
“The defendants are accused of causing frenzied violence in their own communities by trying to kill their gang rivals as part of an ongoing turf war,” said Queens DA Katz.
“Violent gang activity places countless lives in danger and we cannot and will not surrender our streets to reckless gang warfare.”
She said the defendants were members of the Whole Blocc Boys and Score
On Anything crews — two subsets of the 8 Trey Movin Crips street gang.
Seven of those arrested, including two alleged ringleaders, face first-degree conspiracy to commit murder charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life in prison, Katz said.
The motive behind the violence, Katz said, was simple: protecting their turf.
According to court papers, members of the two gang subsets operated under the leadership of Alphati “Havoc” Tanis and Trevor “T3” Bailey, who routinely gave orders to subordinates to kill rivals in an effort to establish geographical dominance and protect their home territory.
The two Crips subsets “worked in tandem” against their rivals, including members of the Folk Nation, Money World, Mac Ballers and Dream Team gangs, according to authorities.
Eleven guns in all were seized over the course of the investigation by police and the Queens DA.
“The senseless violence described in this indictment has no place in our city, and we are committed to using all available resources to identify and dismantle gangs and crews wherever they operate,”  NYPD Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
The arrests followed a yearslong investigation into violence in southeast Queens, focusing on incidents that took place between March 2021 and December 2022.
In one incident, on June 27, 2021, gang members were inside the Daniel M. O’Connell Playground when they were approached by a rival gang member, who whipped out a gun and opened fire, with several children and families nearby, officials said.
The first group returned gunfire before running out of the park, cops said.
The indictment also said those arrested routinely traveled to areas controlled by their rivals for the sole purpose of shooting and killing them on sight.
D.A. Katz said the defendants also used social media, including Snapchat, to provoke and lure rival gang members into attacks.